Morristown Girl Honors Heroes Without Capes With Gratitude, Art

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Like most kids her age, Callie Danysh admits she didn’t really know much about first responders and front-line workers and the jobs they do on a daily basis before the coronavirus pandemic changed life as we know it.

But nearly a year and a half after the 11-year-old Morristown girl took on a Cub Scout project in which she was assigned to recognize a community hero, not only does she have a better understanding of the heroes around her, but she hasn’t stopped making sure that they realize how much they are appreciated.

Callie, who is about to start the sixth grade, is the creative brains behind Flags of Gratitude, a grassroots effort that combines Callie’s artistic talents and a desire to express her gratefulness to those who have served on the front lines since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Since she started, Callie has designed more than 2,000 flags and other pieces of original artwork that have been distributed to medical professionals, firefighters, EMT workers, police officers and local businesspeople who have served the Morristown area in their own ways.

For Callie, the flags and artwork are just a small token of the gratitude that she says has only grown since she took on the project as part of Cub Scout Troop 1936 BSA. She has partnered with her mother, Andrea, who runs Callie’s social media presence for a project that raised about $6,000 for local not-for-profit organizations since Flags of Gratitude started.

“(The response) was just very positive,” Andrea Danysh said of her daughter’s project in a phone interview with Patch. “I think because (first responders and business owners) were so down, it just brightened their day.”

She added: “It was all about showing appreciation.”

The project originally started when Callie was tasked with presenting an award to a local community member as part of the Cub Scouts’ elective “Build My Own Hero” initiative. Rather than choosing just one honoree, Callie figured that she would set out to thank front-line workers and first responders.

That initially resulted in the design and distribution of 600 flags around Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains. Each flag included one of Callie’s drawings and an inspirational message designed to lift the spirits of those who were front and center of the coronavirus pandemic.

Callie says that the designs and motivational messages weren’t necessarily hard to come up with, but she wanted to make sure each one was unique. She categorized the flags by the first responder’s profession and created artwork that would be meaningful for each branch of frontline workers. Regardless of who the recipient was, Callie wanted to make sure each flag followed a common theme.

“I just wanted to uplift their spirits,” Callie told Patch. “I wanted to thank them for their service because a lot of the first responders have been struggling since the COVID pandemic was new. They sacrifice a lot for us and so I just wanted to thank them for all of the things that they do for us.”

What started with Callie and her pack members anonymously delivering flags being to all of the local police departments, fire stations and Morristown Medical Center, Morris Minute Men EMT and Atlantic Rehab and Wellness Center in Morristown quickly blossomed into an ongoing effort that continues today.

Over the past 18 months, Callie’s flags and artwork have been delivered to battered women shelters, rotary organizations and other not-for-profits that have done their part in helping communities through the pandemic. She has also designed artwork meant to lift the spirits of those in the area who are suffering from depression because of the pandemic and takes orders to design flags and other pieces of art to lift the spirits of everyday heroes nominated by local residents who order the art off of the Flags of Gratitude website.

Last July, the sale of Callie’s flags for community heroes allowed her to make a $1,000 donation to Help Morris Now, which was run through Chef Fredy’s Table restaurant, and which fed needy families around the Morristown area each week.

Andrea then helped to turn Callie’s artwork into 8x8 framed Mixtiles, which were then sold through the Flags of Gratitude website to continue to raise money for local charities. She has already made a $2,500 donation to Good Grief Support Center for Children and Families in Morristown and has plans to soon donate another $2,500 to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison.

Callie says she will continue the project as long as she can in an ongoing effort to recognize those who support the community in various ways as the pandemic continues.

“I think that’s why Callie continues to do it because she knows how great it makes people feel to be able to give back,” Andrea Danysh said.

“It’s really about honoring our heroes.”

Before the start of the pandemic, Callie says she had never really considered the role that first responders and medical professionals play in a community. She says she wasn’t aware of the ways that medical professionals and others help local residents in major ways until the pandemic set in and their work became even more critical.

“They’re trying even harder,” Callie said of the first responders she has set out to honor. “They’re heroes now because they sacrifice to help us and with all of the people that have gotten COVID, it’s more common to spread (first responders) names around.”

Callie was recently honored by Morristown’s Peck School, which recognized Callie as its 2020-21 Community Service award recipient. Callie, who has no direct affiliation with the private school, is the youngest recipient of the award, which recognizes positive contributions to the community.

As many of these flags and pieces of art Callie has produced since 2020, she says she has been surprised by the impact the project has had on her personally. While the recipients of the flags and Mixtiles and the gratitude they have shown her has brought her joy, Callie has found her own spirits lifted by the work she continues to do.

Over the months, Callie has seen her art skills develop and her designs became more elaborate. Callie first started to draw at age 7 or 8 but has come back to her artistic skills for a very special reason while spreading a message that she hopes more people pick up on as the pandemic continues to affect people not only around the Morristown community, but around the country.

“Not many kids appreciate what first responders do, and I just wanted to prove that giving back to the community is a really good option,” Callie told Patch. “It has definitely uplifted my spirits and it has definitely uplifted (those of first responders) and so I want to keep this up so I can keep honoring all of the heroes.”

She added: “I want people to recognize that not all heroes wear capes and that without these heroes — the doctors and nurses and others — there would be a lot of trouble in our community right now, especially with the pandemic going on, and these (heroes) sacrifice every day and they risk their lives for us….a lot of people take that for granted.”